


Peace Undone, The War Begun

by avatar_dragon_rider



Category: Elena of Avalor (Cartoon)
Genre: AND IT'S GAY AS HELL, Blood and Injury, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, LEAVE HIM ALONE, M/M, Magic Battles, Major Character Injury, Major Original Character(s), Maybe - Freeform, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Serious Injuries, Slow Burn, Strong Language, YES I REALIZE I'M WRITING A DISNEY PRINCESS FIC, adding a strong language tag for chapter 5, also changing the rating to teen and up, also terrible spanish, because this is getting more intense than i thought it would, butchered spellings of magic spells, can be OT4 if you want it to be, elenaomi is not the main focus but it's there i promise, fite me, i don't give a shit, i keep editing the tags wtf, i will gladly fix it, it's not an OT4 fic but the way i'm writing it..., mateo is my son, please tell me if my spanish needs to be fixed, some interactions could be seen as polyamory, this is probably the gayest fic i will ever write, who knows who's gonna die
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-20 16:53:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9500855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avatar_dragon_rider/pseuds/avatar_dragon_rider
Summary: (also called The Self-Indulgent Elena Fic That Literally No One Asked For)New discoveries lead to new secrets. A young refugee in the palace takes everything Mateo thought he knew and turns it completely upside down. And Elena is dragged along for the ride. Truths become lies, and rumors become real. Who will survive, and who will perish in the inferno of scandal





	1. Chapter 1

_”Vadishima!”_

Mateo ducked under a blast of green magic, which blasted a column behind him into dust. “Oh you’ve got to be kidding me. Is that the only spell she knows? _Vetzi!”_ He slammed his hand down on his tamborita and a blast of magic flew toward Maríta. 

The girl witch yelped as she flew back into a bush. She glared at Mateo, black hair falling into her eyes. “You’ll pay for that, little wizard.”

 _Oh dios mio,_ thought Mateo as he brandished his tamborita. _This is not how I imagined this day was going to go..._

**< >Before That Happened...<>**

“Elena, I’m telling you, this is important!” Mateo practically squealed as he dragged Elena by the wrist to his house. “Probably the most important thing in the history of Avalor!”

“It better be important,” Elena scolded. “I was in the middle of an important Grand Council meeting, in case you didn’t notice.”

“Trust me, you won’t regret this.” Mateo pulled her inside and down into his grandfather’s workshop, where a gold book sat open on a pedestal.

“Mateo, what’s going on?” Elena looked around the workshop, trying to see if anything else was different.

“So I was reading one of my grandfather’s old notebooks,” Mateo explained as he led Elena to the notebook, “and it looks like there were things about Shuriki that no one else in the kingdom knew.”

“What do you mean?” Elena peered over Mateo’s shoulder at the notebook.

“Look here.” Mateo pointed to one of the entries Alakazar made in the notebook. _“Avalor is in terrible danger. I have received word from my wife that Shuriki has given birth to a child, a princess. What will happen to this child, I know not. As far as my wife knows, no one in the kingdom knows about the princess’s birth aside from those who were in the palace when it happened. I fear for the kingdom now more than ever.”_

Elena gasped. “Shuriki had a daughter…”

“There’s more.” Mateo continued reading the next entry, dated a few days after the previous entry: _”More terrible news from Avalor. My dear wife has sent me word about the fate of Shuriki’s daughter. After asking around the castle, she has discovered that Shuriki sent her daughter away with a palace servant. Neither the baby or the servant have been seen since.”_

Elena was silent for a moment, rereading the entries. “If Shuriki had a daughter, she could have inherited her mother’s powers, and there’s no telling what that means for Avalor. We have to tell the council. Come on!” She raced out of the basement.

Mateo watched her go, then looked at the notebook. “Yeah, the council should know…but I don’t think they should know everything. Like who the father is.” He sighed, picked up the book, and ran off after Elena.

<><><><>

Elena whistled for Skylar and Luna, who had flown the two teens from the palace to Mateo’s house. “Skylar! Luna!”

The two Jacquins flew down and landed in front of Elena. “What is it, princess?” asked Skylar.

“We have to get back to the palace, now. I just found out that Shuriki had a _daughter.”_

Skylar and Luna both gasped. “Where is she now?” Luna asked, looking around like she expected someone to jump out of the bushes at her.

Elena sighed. “I don’t know. According to Alakazar’s journals, she was sent away a few days after she was born. No one knows where she is now.”

At that moment, Mateo came running up to Elena. “Elena, I’m not sure if we should―”

“No time, Mateo,” Elena said as she climbed onto Skylar’s back. “We have to warn the council. Bad things always seem to happen after we find out about a potential threat. Come on!” Without giving Mateo time to answer, she spurred Skylar into the sky.

“But Elena! Elena!” Mateo sighed, cursing in Spanish under his breath. “Why does she never listen?”

“Beats me,” Luna said with a shrug of her wings. “Well, we going after her or not?”

Mateo nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go.” He climbed onto Luna’s back, and the Jacquin leapt off into the air.


	2. Chapter 2

Back at the palace, Estéban paced back and forth in the Council Hall. His and Elena’s grandparents, Luisa and Francisco, each sat in their chairs, while Naomi leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.

“Estéban, will you stop pacing already?” Naomi snapped. “She’s coming back. It’s not the end of the world.”

“This is ridiculous!” Estéban suddenly exclaimed, making Luisa jump. “Elena should know better than to just run off like that in the middle of a meeting! And with the Royal Wizard, no less!”

“Estéban, please, calm yourself,” Francisco said, standing and walking around the table to place his hand on his grandson’s shoulder. “Mateo said it would be quick, and Elena promised she would be back as soon as they were finished.”

“Finished with _what_ though?” Naomi asked, stepping off her wall. “Doesn’t anyone else find it a little odd that Mateo only wanted to show _her_ this incredibly important thing and not the whole council?”

“I think someone’s jealous,” Luisa said in a sing-song voice.

“I am not!” Naomi shot back. “I’m just concerned about―Elena!”

Before Naomi could finish, Elena had walked into the Council Hall, followed closely by a nervous-looking Mateo. “Emergency council meeting, now.”

“That is what we were doing before your Royal Wizard decided to interrupt us,” Estéban complained.

“Estéban, please, just sit down.” Naomi rolled her eyes at him as she took her chair, Francisco and Estéban doing the same. The girl then looked at Elena. “What did Mateo find, Elena?”

Elena looked back at Mateo before addressing her council. “While reading some of his grandfather’s journals, Mateo discovered that Alakazar and his wife had been sending letters back and forth while he traveled the world trying to free me from the amulet.”

“Yes yes, we knew this already, Elena,” Estéban said, sounding bored. “This is nothing new to us.”

“Yes, but that’s not even the half of it.” Elena took a breath, then continued. “According to one of Alakazar’s journal entries…Shuriki had a daughter while she ruled Avalor.”

Naomi, Luisa and Francisco all gasped. “What?” Naomi asked, shocked.

“A daughter?” asked Francisco.

“How could that be?” Luisa looked at Mateo then Elena. “Surely there must be some mistake? There is no way that witch could ever have fallen in love.”

“Believe me,” Mateo said, his eyes shifting to Estéban, “I’m sure there was no love involved in this.”

Following Mateo’s gaze, Elena looked at her cousin. “Estéban, you worked side by side with Shuriki while she was in power. Do you know anything about this?”

Estéban looked at everyone in turn, his gaze lingering on Mateo. The boy wizard narrowed his eyes at Estéban, watching him to see how he would answer this. After a nearly too-long pause, Estéban finally looked away from Mateo and to Elena. “Yes, it is true, Shuriki did have a child. Almost fifteen years ago, if my memory serves correct.”

“So what happened to the baby?” asked Naomi. “Did she disappear with Shuriki when Elena took back the kingdom?”

Estéban shook his head. “No. Shuriki ordered one of the palace servants to take the girl away. Neither one of them have been seen since Shuriki sent them away.”

Elena opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Gabe throwing the doors open. “Please excuse the interruption, Your Majesty,” he said to Elena, “but the other guards and I…”

“Spit it out, Gabe,” Elena said, a little too harshly. It had been a long day.

“The other guards and I found a girl trying to break into the palace,” Gabe explained. “She said some things that you…you need to hear.”

Elena nodded. “Show us.”

Gabe hurried out of the hall, followed by Elena, Naomi, and Elena’s grandparents. Estéban and Mateo, however, stayed behind.

Estéban arose from his chair and looked at Mateo. The boy had his arms crossed, and was watching Estéban intently. “I hope you have a good explanation planned. You and I both know what you said was not the whole story.”

“You watch your mouth, boy,” Estéban said darkly. “You may have Elena on your side, but I disproved of your promotion from the very beginning, and I can take it away very easily if you say the wrong thing.”

Mateo’s gaze hardened, his lip curling up into a snarl.

“Now,” Estéban strode to the door like a proud peacock, “let us see what all the fuss is about, shall we?”


	3. Chapter 3

Outside, four palace guards stood in a semicircle behind a young girl. All five of them looked up when they saw Elena and her council members coming down the steps toward them.

“Princess Elena,” said one of the guards, bowing to her respectfully. The other three guards did the same, and following their lead, the girl curtsied.

Elena strode up to the girl, a soft smile on her face to show her she was harmless, and looked her over. She couldn’t have been older than fourteen, with hair as black as shadows falling around her shoulders. Her skin was a sort of mixed shade; not nearly as white as Naomi’s, but not quite as bronze as the Avalorans. Her eyes were a deep chocolate brown, and they seemed…almost familiar, as did the shade of her hair.

Elena decided not to dwell on it. She bent down a little so she was at eye-level with the girl, who was about half a head shorter than her. “Hi there,” she said in a sweet and welcoming tone. “I am Princess Elena of Avalor.”

“My name is Maríta,” said the girl. She spoke with an Avaloran accent, which was rather uncommon; most Avalorans did not develop their accents until their early to mid-twenties.

“It’s nice to meet you, Maríta. Welcome to Avalor.” Elena straightened herself up and gestured to her council members. “These are my council members. They give me advice and help me rule my kingdom.” Elena took the young girl’s hand and dismissed the guards, leading Maríta down the line and introducing each council member. “This is my grandfather Francisco, and my grandmother Luisa. This is my girlfriend Naomi, and this is my cousin Estéban.”

Maríta paused when she got to Estéban. The two of them stared at each other a moment too long before Elena introduced the last person. “And this is Mateo, our Royal Wizard.”

“Royal Wizard, hm?” Maríta looked Mateo up and down, smirking at him. “You look a little young to be a Royal Wizard, Matthew.”

“Mateo,” Mateo corrected her. “And no, I’m not.”

“Why don’t we all go inside?” Elena interjected; it looked like things between Mateo and Maríta were going to get bad fast. “Abuela can make us all some breakfast, and we can talk over some nice _tortillas de patatas._ Sound good to everyone?”

“I will go alert the cooks!” Luisa said excitedly, hurrying off to the kitchens. After a brief moment of everyone standing there looking at Maríta, Francisco led Naomi and Elena inside. Gabe glanced at Maríta once before joining his fellow guards in watching the palace gates.

Mateo gave Maríta a hard look. “I’ll be watching you, _chica._ You and I both know that there’s more to you than you’re letting on.”

“Why on earth would you think that?” Maríta asked, expertly playing the role of the innocent teenage girl on her own in a strange place. Without waiting for Mateo to answer, she walked up the stairs after Elena and Naomi, pausing just long enough to hold Estéban’s gaze.

 _She was right,_ thought Maríta. _He does still hold a high position in the princess’s eyes. Foolish girl. She will soon discover where his true loyalties lie._

<><><><>

In the dining hall, Elena sat at the head of the table, with Naomi on her right and Maríta on her left. Estéban was across from Maríta, and he seemed determined to not stare at her. Mateo had been the last to arrive, and ended up seated right next to Maríta, which, needless to say, he did not enjoy.

There was a brief few minutes of awkward silence at the table, with everyone trying not to stare at Maríta. She, however, seemed perfectly calm, nonchalantly braiding and unbraiding her hair in different ways while she waited for Francisco and Luisa to come back with breakfast.

When Luisa and Francisco finally arrived with breakfast, the awkward tension in the room dropped considerably. After a few bites of her breakfast, Elena turned to Maríta. “So, Maríta, what brings you to Avalor?”

Maríta’s fork slowly lowered back to her plate. Everyone’s eyes were on her. “My village is under attack from Shuriki.”

“Shuriki?!” everyone at the table said at once.

“How is that possible?” Francisco looked at Elena, shocked. “We saw her fall from the waterfall. There is no way she’s alive.”

“Trust me,” Maríta said darkly, “she’s very much alive. And she’s out for revenge. Against you, princess.” She directed her gaze at Elena. “She wants to make you pay for what you did to her, and she enslaved my entire village.”

“Why did she enslave your village?” asked Mateo, sounding skeptical. “That doesn’t sound like Shuriki. She may be a cruel leader, but she didn’t enslave Avalor when she ruled here.”

“Shuriki has changed since you last met her,” Maríta explained. “All she wants is revenge on Elena, and she’ll use any means necessary to get it. My village is home to some of the best warriors in the world. With us on her side, she’ll be unstoppable.”

“But she doesn’t have her magic anymore,” said Luisa. “Elena snapped her wand.”

“That’s why she needs the army. Without her wand, she’s powerless. Rumor is that she’s sent a scout ahead to find the wand and bring it back to her.”

“And your village sent you to find the scout and take him out?” Mateo guessed. “Is there a rebel alliance of some sort that your parents are part of?”

“My parents are dead.” Maríta stated this like she was saying her favorite restaurant ran out of her favorite soup. “At least, that’s what I always believed. My _cuidadora_ is an Avaloran woman who escaped Shuriki’s reign years ago. She said that my mother came to the village sick and dying, and entrusted me to her in return for trying to cure her sickness.”

“Your caregiver is Avaloran?” asked Elena. “An Avaloran refugee?”

“That explains the accent,” said Naomi.

Maríta nodded at Elena. “When Shuriki invaded our village, my _cuidadora_ sent me here. She wanted to protect me.”

“If there’s someone here to steal Shuriki’s wand,” Mateo said, “then why would sending you here protect you?”

“Because my father is here,” said Maríta. 

As she said this, Estéban looked at her for the first time since first seeing her on the steps of the palace. _So, my suspicions were true. It IS her._

“Your dad?” asked Mateo. “But you said―”

“I said I _believed_ my parents were dead,” Maríta interrupted. “I only recently found out that that belief is wrong.”

“How did you find out your dad was Avaloran?” Naomi questioned.

“My _cuidadora_ told me. When Shuriki invaded, we hid for as long as we could. Finally we had no choice but to give ourselves up or else she would kill us. Before our surrender, my _cuidadora_ told me to come here. She said to find my father in Avalor, and he would send help.”

Estéban spoke to Maríta for the first time. “How could your father help your entire village?”

She looked straight at him, chocolate eyes staring into chocolate eyes. “My _cuidadora_ said he was very close to the princess. Someone important in the palace.”

Mateo nearly choked on his bite of _tortillas de patatas._ His eyes flicked back and forth between Maríta and Estéban, not believing what he was hearing. _She’s not saying…no, it can’t be. She’s not magical. Is she?_ He shook his head slightly to himself. _No, Get ahold of yourself, de Alma. Don’t jump to conclusions._

Elena swallowed her bite of _tortillas de patatas._ and wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Well, once you’re done with your breakfast, we can check the records room. That should give us a starting point.”

Maríta stood up. “I’m ready now.” She’d barely taken three bites of her _tortillas de patatas._ “Let’s go.”


	4. Chapter 4

Shuriki paced the cave, watching Maríta through her crystal ball. Her henchman, a man named Jorge, stood by the entrance, watching her.

“Mistress,” Jorge spoke softly, always dancing across hot coals whenever he questioned the former queen of Avalor, “are you certain everything is going to plan?”

Shuriki glared at Jorge, eyes blazing with hatred for his stupid question. “Yes, idiot. The girl knows what she’s doing. I trained her well in the ways of magic. She will gain that foolish princess’s trust with her pathetic fairy tales, and then she will stab them in the back when they least expect it. She will not let us down.”

“And Estéban? What if he―”

“He will not,” Shuriki cut him off. “He knows who this girl is. He won’t lay a finger on her, if he knows what’s good for him.”

<><><><>

In the records room, Elena perused through the shelves, easily 6 feet off the ground, balancing on the ladder while she reached for the book she was looking for. A few feet below her, Naomi stood on a smaller ladder, looking for another of the books. The records room was where all recorded residents of Avalor were stored, along with family histories, royal legends, religious myths, and anything else that could be recorded on paper.

Maríta strolled along the bottom shelves, looking at the spines of records. Each one contained a certain portion of Avaloran history, dated appropriately. “I’m surprised Shuriki didn’t have all of this burned,” she thought aloud.

“It does sound like a Shuriki thing to do,” Naomi agreed, opening another record book and flipping through it before setting it back on the shelf; apparently it wasn’t the one she was looking for.

“Shuriki may have been cruel and dictatorial,” Elena said, picking up another of the record books and flipping through it, “but she was never disrespectful. The Avalorans told me she would never harm their heritage, if only to keep them under her boot. She took away some freedoms, yes, but never their history. It was the one thing she actually respected.”

In the hall outside the records room, Mateo stood with his arms crossed, back against the wall beside the closed door, his tamborita leaning against the wall beside him. No matter what Elena said, regardless of how much Mateo respected and trusted her judgement, he just didn’t trust Maríta. Something about her set him on edge.

“Someone looks like he’s pouting,” Gabe said as he walked up, making Mateo jump before he realized who it was.

“I am not,” Mateo said, giving Gabe a look.

“Then why aren’t you in there helping them? I’m sure the girls could use a magical hand.” Gabe stuck his fingers into Mateo’s side, wiggling them a little and making the younger boy giggle.

Mateo tried to move away from Gabe, pushing the offending hand away while choking back laughter; his sides have always been extremely ticklish (thank the lord that Elena and Naomi were still clueless or they’d have him pinned to a couch tickling him at every available opportunity). Gabe relented, but that annoying and oddly charming smirk never left his face. Mateo simply rolled his eyes. “I don’t trust Maríta.”

“Why?” Gabe’s smirk grew and Mateo knew he was about to say something obnoxious. And sure enough, in a teasing tone… “You jealous that Elena’s giving her more attention? Poor heartsick baby.”

“Knock it off!” Mateo shoved Gabe’s big stupid face away from him, though he had to stand on his tiptoes to do it. “I don’t like Elena that way. Besides, even if I did, she doesn’t like me that way and she’s gay to boot.” He thought of throwing in that he was too, but he was not about to give Gabe more ammo against him.

“Actually I’m pretty sure she’s bi.” Gabe shrugged. “But hey, I’m not one to judge. It’s also not why I came down here.”

Mateo looked at him. “So…why did you come down here?”

Gabe rubbed the back of his head, his cheeks turning slightly pink. “I uh…I was wondering if you wanted to come on patrol with me. I’ve been assigned the most gorgeous section in Avalor today, and…I figured maybe…you’d like to join me?”

Mateo was shell shocked. _Was Gabe asking him out?_ “Um…” Now it was Mateo’s turn to be flustered. “I―”

Before he had a chance to finish, Naomi came running out of the records room. “Guys! Guys! We―” She stopped short when she noticed a slightly embarrassed Gabe and a flustered Mateo outside the door. She crossed her arms and smirked. “Did I interrupt something?”

“Uh, no.” Gabe recovered himself quickly, clearing his throat. “No, go ahead. What did you want to say?”

Naomi looked between the boys with a knowing smirk in her eyes before giving her announcement. “Elena found it. She found the record book from Maríta’s birth year.”

<><><><>

Elena, Naomi, Mateo, Gabe and Maríta all stood around a table in the middle of the records room, a large record book sitting on the table waiting to be opened. Elena looked at the other four teens around her. “Alright, let’s do this.” She opened the book and flipped to Maríta’s birth month for that year…and was greeted with a ripped-out page.

“What?” Elena flipped back and forth in the book, trying to find the missing page. “But…but Shuriki…the citizens said she never touched the archives…”

“Maybe she did touch them,” Gabe said, “and no one ever knew.”

 _Or someone ELSE messed with the records,_ thought Mateo, his eyes roaming over to Maríta. _And I think I know why they did it._

“Maybe some of the villagers know what happened to the page,” Naomi suggested. “We could ask some of them and see if they have any idea why a page is missing.”

“Good idea, Naomi.” Elena perked up immediately, closing the book and tucking it under her arm. “You’re amazing.” She kissed her girlfriend’s cheek and hurried to the door. “Come on!”

“Actually…” came Maríta’s small voice. Elena stopped in her tracks and looked back at her. “I want to take a break from our search for a little bit.”

“But I thought this is why you came to Avalor,” Elena said, turning to face the girl. “To find your family.”

“I know,” Maríta avoided the princess’s gaze. “But…I figure that if I’m going to live here, if I choose to that is, I want to see the kingdom. I want to know what society I would be bringing myself into. I want to see my heritage firsthand, without the distraction of my personal mission.”

Elena thought for a moment, looking to Naomi for assistance. The harbor girl shrugged her shoulders, and Elena looked back to Maríta. “Alright, if that’s what you want. Naomi and I will take you on a tour of the city and surrounding villages.”

Maríta smiled. “Sounds like fun. Let’s go!” She grabbed Naomi’s wrist and then Elena’s and ran out of the records room.

Once the girls were gone, Gabe turned his attention to Mateo. “So, now that that’s all out of the way, care to take me up on that offer?”

Mateo looked at Gabe, silently judging his obnoxious ass. “Alright. I could use a break from all this.”

Gabe smiled, a huge, wide smile that sent heat shooting down Mateo’s spine and into his groin. Damn, he hated that smile. “Great. But, lose the robe. Please. You draw a lot of attention looking like the royal wizard.”

Mateo blinked, breaking himself out of his stupor. “Okay. Meet you outside in ten minutes.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapter lengths vary drastically. I actually split this one in half because it was already at over 800 words and I don't want the chapters to be over 1000 (that's what WIDTTP is for ;) )

It actually took Mateo fifteen minutes to get ready; he spent the extra five staring at himself in the mirror in his room wondering why he was doing this. (Elena always made sure Mateo and Naomi had their own spare rooms in the palace in case council meetings ran late or Mateo spent too many hours helping Isabel with her science projects and didn’t realize what time it was.)

As he walked out of his room and down the hall, he continued to wonder why the hell he agreed to go on this date with Gabe―was it even a date? Gabe was supposed to be on patrol―or was it just an excuse to take Mateo out? Thinking about it made his head hurt.

He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice Isabel walking right toward him until they barreled into each other. She slipped on the smooth floor of the hall and swiped Mateo’s legs out from under him as she went down. She ended up on her butt and he on his side.

“Mateo?” Isabel asked when she recovered. She smirked at him. “Don’t you know better than to daydream while walking? Other people occupy this castle besides you, you know.”

Mateo rolled his eyes. “Very funny, Isa.” He stood up and held out a hand to help up the young princess, which she accepted. “Whatcha got there?” He nodded to the small contraption cradled in her arm.

She looked down at it. “Just a new invention I’m working on. I can’t tell you what it does, though. It’s supposed to be a surprise.”

“Ah.” Mateo smirked, nodding. “I see.”

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” Isabel asked, obviously eager to turn the focus away from her secret invention.

“I um…” Mateo rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of how to answer. “I have a…” Date? Meeting? Friendly outing? The fuck was this thing he was doing with Gabe? And now he’s mentally swearing. His mamá would slap him for that if she’d heard him say it out loud.

“You alright, Mateo?” Isabel stepped closer, looking concerned. “You look a little…I don’t know, flustered.”

“I’m fine.” Well that’s a lie. “I just have somewhere I need to be. Like, six minutes ago.” He skirted around her. “I’ll see you ‘round.”

“Yeah…” Isabel said slowly, watching Mateo run off down the hall.

<><><><>

Gabe was waiting for him outside the palace. He sat on the edge of the fountain, two horses tethered to a post beside him―had that post always been there? Or was he just that blind?

“Took you long enough,” Gabe said when Mateo came jogging up to him. “Are royal wizards always late?”

“Shut up.” Mateo rolled his eyes. “I got held up. Ran into Isabel on the way out and had to help her fix her invention.”

“Uh huh.” Gabe looked down his nose at him. Damn that height difference, and damn Mateo’s inability to tell a decent lie. “So, you ready?” He gestured to the horses―the larger of which had a large blanket and a picnic basket strapped to the back of the saddle.

“I thought you said you were on patrol?” Mateo looked quizzically at Gabe, who shrugged.

“My shift goes right through lunch,” Gabe explained. “I got Elena’s _abuela_ to make me some lunch this morning, and she packed me a lot of extras.” He failed to hide the smirk that danced across his face.

Had Gabe been planning this all day? God _damn_ it. “Uh…you know I’m not very good at riding horses right?”

“Come on, you’ll do fine. You were pretty good at riding Fuego when that witch Orizaba attacked, weren’t you?”

“First off, she was a fairy,” Mateo corrected, pointing a finger at Gabe. “Second, please don’t mention that day. I still get nightmares about it.” He shuddered involuntarily. That was hands down the worst day of his life so far. At least three times that day he’d been worried that Elena would die and it would be his fault. Not to mention the two days she was unconscious.

“Right, sorry.” Gabe untethered the smaller horse and brought her over to Mateo. “You just relax. You’re not going to fall. Especially because that robe isn’t in the way this time.”

Mateo looked down at himself. Per Gabe’s request, he had removed his robe, leaving him in his street clothes. He’d kept his tamborita strapped to his back, just in case; the Royal Wizard never left home without his weapon. He supposed Gabe had a point. Riding a horse would be easier without a robe. In theory, anyway. In practice, that’s a whole other story entirely.

“Come on, I’ll help you.” Gabe Knelt down beside the mare and held his hands together, making a step for Mateo. Mateo carefully stepped on Gabe’s hands and hoisted himself up onto the mare’s back, arms trembling. He righted himself in the saddle, gripping the reins for dear life.

“We won’t go fast, will we?” he asked nervously.

Gabe shook his head. “Nope, just an easy trot.” He mounted his own steed―Fuego, Mateo’s brain supplied―and started off out the gates. Still not entirely comfortable with this whole thing, Mateo followed, trying not to fall off.


	6. Chapter 6

Midday was Mateo’s favorite time of day in Avalor; sunrise and sunset were a close second, but nothing beat midday. The sun was high and bright, right above them, big fluffy clouds slowly moving across the gorgeous blue sky. Brightly colored flowers decorated the roads and buildings, the light of the sun making everything shine in the most beautiful way. 

Gabe’s perimeter was from the city park to the edge of the woods, where the dirt path led up to the waterfall. Elena often brought Naomi up there for some romantic girlfriend time―and the only reason Mateo knew that was because he’d gone up there to think and caught them with dresses rumpled, their hair tangled and messy, and lips bruised from passionate kisses. He’d never go up there again unless he was sure Elena and Naomi were nowhere in the vicinity.

While Gabe gabbed on about training to be a royal guard, Mateo’s mind wandered. Normally he was an attentive listener, whether the topic interested him or not, but today he was just too distracted by everything going on at the palace. It couldn’t just be coincidence that this mysterious girl shows up out of nowhere on the very day that Mateo makes the discovery of Shuriki’s daughter with Estéban. And there’s all the holes in her backstory, like how goddamn perfect it is. No one has that good of an alibi. It sounded like her entire backstory had been rehearsed, taught to her instead of her living it for herself. “Dead parents” is the most cliché villain trope in the book―actually the most cliché trope period. Anyone who’s totally chill with saying they never knew their parents or that their parents are dead has definitely got something fishy about them.

Mateo was pulled from his thoughts when Gabe said his name, rather loudly. “Mateo!”

The wizard jerked, nearly falling sideways off his horse, looking at Gabe as soon as he was certain he wasn’t going to fall on his face. “What?” 

The idiot had the gall to smirk at him. “I have to admit, you’re kinda cute when you think like that.” At Mateo’s flabbergasted look, he elaborated. “It’s easy to tell when you’re thinking hard about something. Your nose scrunches up and your eyebrows furrow. Reminds me a bit of Elena’s determined look when figuring out how to deal with a problem.”

“Thanks?” Mateo wasn’t sure how to take that. Was Gabe flirting or giving him a weird compliment? This day was getting stranger and stranger.

Gabe snickered, turning his steed toward a dirt path that was all too familiar. “Come on.”

“We’re going to the falls?” Mateo asked as he pulled on the mare’s reins to get her to follow Gabe.

“Yep. Best spot for lunch.”

 _Not if the Royal Lesbians are up there making out again,_ Mateo thought to himself. But he didn’t say that. It’d be funnier to see Gabe’s face if they walked in on Elena and Naomi making out.

Sadly, that didn’t happen. The clearing by the falls was devoid of people, and only then did Mateo remember that the girls were taking Maríta around the city on a tour. _Duh._ He mentally―and almost physically―slapped himself.

Gabe dismounted gracefully and tied Fuego’s reins to a thick tree branch. Mateo attempted to do the same, but nearly ended up on his face again; his legs were tingly from riding the horse for so long. Luckily, Gabe was preoccupied with setting up a spot for their lunch and didn’t notice Mateo. He copied Gabe’s knot with the reins, securing his mare next to Fuego, before joining Gabe at the blanket.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked suddenly.

Gabe looked at him, an eyebrow raised. “What do you mean?”

Mateo gestured around them at the picnic spread. “All this. Why are you doing this for me? You’re usually all…you know, competitive and masculine and boastful.” Gabe snickered at that part. “And then there’s the fact you called me cute.”

“There a problem with that?”

Mateo shrugged. “No. I mean, it is a little…gay, don’t you think?”

“I’m allowed to think guys are cute.” Gabe handed him a wrapped sandwich, which Mateo accepted. “I’m allowed to think girls are cute. I’m allowed to think Fuego is cute.”

“Okay okay,” Mateo cut him off with a light chuckle, “I get the picture.”

Gabe gave the younger boy a smirk that said all too well that Mateo didn’t get half of it, if only Mateo had even noticed. He was too busy munching on his sandwich and looking out over the falls at the kingdom. “I love it up here. It’s so beautiful and quiet.”

“If you block out the roar of the falls, that is.” Gabe snickered.

“Hey, let nature be nature.” Mateo shoved Gabe’s shoulder, which only made them both laugh. “You didn’t answer my question. Why did you bring me out here?”

Gabe shrugged. “Figured you could use a break from everything going on. You seem stressed.”

“That obvious, huh?” At Gabe’s serious look, Mateo sighed. “It’s just that a lot is happening too fast. The very day I discover that Shuriki had a daughter, and this girl shows up with a finely polished past and just happens to look like a blend between Shuriki and―” Mateo quickly cut himself off. No one can know that Estéban was the father of Shuriki’s child. The last thing Elena needs right now is a royal scandal on her hands.

“Who?” Gabe pressed. _Mierda._ “Shuriki and who?”

“Nothing. No one.” Mateo waved off the question, hoping his eyes didn’t give away his unease. “Forget I said anything.”

“No, Mateo.” Gabe’s hand hovered for a bit, as if unsure where to touch him, and eventually landed on Mateo’s shoulder. “Tell me. Is this what’s been bothering you? That’s why you’ve been so on edge and jumpy today?”

Mateo didn’t answer, just turned his eyes away from Gabe.

“You think Maríta is Shuriki’s daughter,” Gabe said, realization dawning on him. “That’s why you glare at her like that. That’s why you don’t like her.”

“Please stop,” Mateo whispered. Gabe didn’t hear him.

“Should we tell Elena? She trusts your word. If you think something’s up with Maríta―”

“Gabe!” Mateo snapped. “Knock it off! Elena doesn’t need to know. For all I know it’s just paranoia and she’s completely innocent. Just stop talking about it. You’re freaking me out here.”

Gabe winced. “Sorry.” He paused a moment, searching for a safer conversation topic. “How are the magic spells coming? Learn anything interesting recently?”

Mateo’s face lit up like fireworks in the night sky.

They spent a half hour talking over sandwiches and Luisa’s special recipe chili fries, which she’d perfected off a recipe Naomi had given her. The fries had gotten a little cool on the ride up, but were still warm enough to taste delicious. The whole time, Gabe’s eyes never left Mateo. Which was weird, to say the least. Gabe had never once had an interest in guys―he was more of a ladies’ man by reputation―but there was something about Mateo that intrigued him. Something about how his confidence in battle masked his crippling insecurities about being the Royal Wizard. Something about the way the corner of his lip turned up in a smirk whenever he was having a good time with his friends, or about to outsmart an enemy. Something about the way his eyes lit up when he talked about magic. Something about his smooth voice, accented in the typical Avaloran fashion whenever he spoke spells, occasionally cracking from the tail end of puberty. Something about the way his grandfather’s robe made him look so much like a man but still so much like a boy.

Something about _Mateo_ intrigued him. And trying to figure out what it was fucked him up the goddamn _wall._

Mateo, on the other hand, elected to ignore Gabe and the way he was staring at him. It wasn’t creepy, the way the older boy was looking at him, but it was a little unsettling. Talking about magic kept his mind off of other things, namely Gabe. Why he was doing this. Why he offered to take Mateo on a date-not-date to distract him. Why he was looking at him like the sun rose in his eyes. Why Mateo was fairly certain that Gabe was a flaming bisexual and how the hell he knew Mateo was in no way straight. Why it looked like part of the city was on fire.

Wait.

_Part of the city was on fire._

Gabe saw it the instant Mateo stopped talking; Mateo felt the eyes leave his back and focus instead on the column of smoke rising from the market square.

“What is that?” Gabe asked.

“Oh no…” Mateo whistled and two Jacquins flew down from the trees and landed beside them.

“Wait, we’re going to ride those?” Gabe looked at the Jacquin currently waiting for him to get on its back. “What about the horses?”

“We’ll come back for them,” Mateo promised as he mounted his Jacquin―Lorraine, if memory served correctly. Mateo was rather fond of the Jaquins; he may have hated horses, but damn, he loved to fly. “Come on!” Without waiting for Gabe, Lorraine took off into the air.

Gabe sighed. “He can’t ride a horse but is perfectly fine with a Jacquin.” Regardless, he straddled his Jacquin and they leapt into the air after Mateo.


End file.
